Fire-escape



(No Model.)

H. VIBREGG.

PIRE ESCAPE.

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A TTHNEYS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT l'llilblltlrT VIEREGG, OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA.

Fl R E- ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 531,883, dated January1, 1895.

Application tiled March 19, 1894. Serial No. 504,205. (No model.)

.To LZZ whom it' may concern.-

Be it known that l, HENRY Wannee, of Grand lsland, in the county of Halland State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Improvement inFire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescripion.

My invention relates to an improvement in fire escapes, and especiallyto an improvement upon the Letters Patent granted to me July 21, 1891,No. 456,388, the especial object of the invention being to provide abrake for the tire escape, automatically controlled through the mediumof a governor, whereby the rapidity of the descent of a person will beautomatically regulated, and also to provide an auxiliary brake adaptedfor use in connection with the automatic brake, when required.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a section through the casing of the fire escape, takenessentially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, the escape proper being shown inside elevation. Fig. 2 is a section taken essentially on the line 2--2of Fig. 1. Fig. v3 is a detail view of the governor controlling theautomatic brake; and Fig. 4. is a detail view illustrating the manner ofattaching the track for the fire escape to the building.

In carrying ont thel invention, the lnain frame of the fire escapeconsists of two uprights 10 and 11, located at a predetermined distanceapart, parallel with one another, the uprights at their upper ends beingwidened and connected by one or more cross bars 12 and a horizontal bar13, secured at its center to each upright 10 and 11, said bars beingparallel, and arched bars 14, one located at each side of the frame andextending from one extremity of the bar 13 to the other, as shown bestin Fig. 1. At the junction of the cross bar 13 with the uprights oftheframe a shaft l5, is journaled, one end of which extends beyond one sideof the frame and is provided with a sprocket wheel 16, the said sprocketwheel being connected by a chain 17 with a similar pinion 18, the pinionbeing located in the wider portion of the frame, and it is mounted upona shaft 19, horizontally located and extending in direction of thecenter of the frame, the said shaft being journaled in an adjustablebearing 19% The inner end of the shaft 19 is provided with a beveledgear 20, and the shaft near its inner end is supported by a hanger 21 orits equivalent, which hanger is made to rest upon a table 22, locatedupon a cross bar 23, which divides the narrower from the Wider portionof the frame.

A sleeve 2i is located upon the table 22, or upon the upper cross bar23, and within the said sleeve a governor shaft 25, is held to revolve,the said shaft being made to extend through the table and through thecross bar 23 if both are employed. The upper end of the governor shaftisjournaled in an adjustable bearing 26, as shown in Fig. 2, whereby theshaft may be plumbed when occasion may demand.

A governor casing or jacket 27, is held to turn upon the upper portionof the governor shaft, its lower endresting and turning freely upon theupper end of the sleeve 24C. The governor casing or jacket is providedat its lower end with a beveled pinion 2S, which meshes with the beveledgear 20 on the upper shaft 19. The governor arms 29, are secured to theshaft 25 and are pivoted in openings in the jacket 27 through which theypass, as shown in Fig. 3, the outer ends of the arms being made toterminate in suitable balls or weights 30, whereupon, if the jacket 27is violently revolved, the governor arms will be drawn upward bycentrifugal force and will carry the governor shaft 25 downward to applya brake to be hereinafter described.

A drum A is securely mounted upon 'the shaft 15 within the narrowerportion of the frame. The said drum is provided with a hub 31,having acentral groove 32 produced therein, which groove receives an endlesschain 35. This chain, as has been described in the former patent abovereferred to,is so constructed that every other link will enter a channellocated in the base Wall of said groove 82, or other means maybeprovided for slightly retarding the passage of the chain over the IOOdrum, or preventing it from slipping thereon. This chain is adapted toreach nearly to the ground and to be passed over a pulley attached to aheavy block provided with a handle, as has also been described in theaforesaid patent, thereby enabling persons upon the pavement or upon theground to draw the chain outward, and thus prevent those descending,from being brought in contact with the window sills or other projectionsupon the face of the building, and if the house is constructed with anarea, to carry the chain beyond the same. The descending person maysimply grip the chain, or said person may be provided with any approvedform of harness, which when employed is hooked tothe links of the chain.The block spoken of as being connected with the chain being heavy servesto hold the chain steady and enables the operator upon the side-walk toreadily control the direction of the descent.

In order to prevent one stretch of the endless carrying chain frompassing too close to the other stretch, a loop or yoke 35 is formed uponthe lower portion of the frame, through which one stretch of the chainis made to pass as shown in Fig. 1, the chain being made to travel apredetermined distance from the outer end of the loop or yoke throughthe medium of a friction roller 36 or its equivalent, attached to arms37, adj ustably connected with the lower portion of the frame, as bestshown in Fig. 1,

At each side of the center of the drum and integral with it a largegrooved wheel is located, or the said wheels may be fast to the shaft 15and independent of the drum. These wheels are best shown in Fig. 2, andare designated as 38 and 39. Below these wheels a cross bar 40 is madeto connect the uprights 10 and 11 of the frame, a second cross bar 41serving the same purpose but being located below the bar 40. The lowerends of two chains 42 and 43 are secured firmly to the cross bar 40, andthese chains are carried upward to a contact, one with the groovedsurface of each wheel 38 and 39, and are attached at their upper ends tothe T-head 44 of an angle lever 45, which lever is pivoted upon theupper portions of the arched bars 14 through the medium of a pin 46,shown in both Figs. 1 and 2. The upper member of the angle lever 45, iscarried forward from the space between the two wheels 38 and 39, and isadapted to be engaged by the lower end of the governor shaft 25. Thuswhen a person is descending, through the medium of the chain 33 theshaft 15 will be revolved, and according to the weight of the person theshaft will be turned to a greater or less degree, and consequently willrevolve the governor jacket 27 in a proportionate manner, and cause thegovernor arms to be thrown outward to a greater or less degree, andthereby force the governor shaft 25 downward with greater or lesspressure upon the brake lever 45, causing the brake chains 42 and 43 togrip the wheels to a greater or less extent. Chains are employed for thebrakes instead of straps, since more friction is obtained by their use.

It will be observed that the brake chains engage with one side only ofthe brake wheels 38 and 39. Therefore, an auxiliary brake may be appliedto the opposite surface of the wheels, to be brought into action whendesired, or in the event the governor brake should not act properly.This auxiliarybrake is constructed by'attaching the upper end of a strap47 to the inner face of each of the arched bars 14,k and carrying thesaid straps downward `in such manner that they may contact with thegrooved surfaces of the brakeV wheels 38 and 39. The lower ends of thesestraps are connected with preferably an elbow lever C, the connectionbeing made to the short end 48 of said lever, the longer end being madeto extend outward adjacent to that stretch of the carrying chain adaptedto receive the person descending, and this longer member 49 of theauxiliary brake lever may have a chain or cable 50 attached to it, whichmay be carried to the ground so that it may be operated by a person frombelow. A hanger 51 is secured to the upper portion of the frame of theescape, which hanger carries a friction pulley 52, the said pulley beingadapted to travel upon a track 53, the sections of which may beconnected by pins or other approved couplings. The track is supportedfrom the top of the building, as shown in Fig. 4, or from any pointthereon; and a pin 53a is secured to the hanger, which when the wheel 52is upon the track extends beneath the latter and prevents the wheelleaving the track.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated one means of support in which brackets 54are employed, adapted to support the track 53, said brackets having abearing against the front of the building, and they are carried rearwardand secured to the roof 55 for example with but a single bolt 56, butmore may be employed if found desirable, as for example another bolt maybe passed through the foot of the bracket into the wall.

The frame of the fire escape and all of its attachments are preferablyprovided with a casing 57, as shown in Fig. 1, made for example of sheetmetal, the casing being designed to protect the device from the actionof the elements.

-Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a fire escape, the combination, with a frameadapted to be suspended from a building, a drum journaled in the saidframe and provided with three separate peripheral surfaces,'and anendless chain passed over the central surface, of brakes secured to afixed support at the lower portion of the frame and engaging with theouter peripheral surfaces of the drum, the upper ends of the said brakesTOO IIO

drum chain, and an auxiliary brake mechanism comprising brakes whichalso engage said outer peripheral surfaces, levers pivoted beneath thedrum and connected with said auxiliary brakes, and a hand chain or'corddepending from said levers along side of the endless chain, as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. In a re escape, the combination, with a frame adapted to be suspendedfrom a building, a drum journaled in the frame and provided with threeseparate peripheral surfaces, and an endless chain passed over thecentral surface, of brake chains adapted for engagement with one side ofthe outer peripheral surfaces of the drum, the said brake chains beingsecured at their lower ends to a fixed support, an angled brake leverjournaled upon the frame and connected with the upper ends of the saidbrake chains, a governor located upon the upper portion of the frame,the shaft of which has bearing against the brake lever, a drivingmechanism for the governor operated from the drum-shaft, and anauxiliary brake strap engaging with each outer peripheral surface of thedrum opposite the brake chains, and connected with a brake lever adaptedto be operated by hand, as and for the purpose set forth.

HENRY VIEREGG.

Witnesses:

W. H. THOMPSON, LIZZIE LIMBACK.

